Will 2017 Be Baron Corbin's Year in WWE?

Will Baron Corbin finally get the respect he deserves?

Baron Corbin has been with the WWE since 2012. His original aspirations involved a future playing professional football although he was not selected by any teams during the 2009 NFL draft. He was signed to both the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals and after a few literal hits and misses, his football career ended in 2011.

Corbin found moderate success during his run in NXT but didn’t add any championships to his résumé. What he did have was something that Vince McMahon seems to covet above all else; he is big. At 6’6, 317 pounds, Corbin towers over most of the WWE roster which worked to his advantage during his debut at WrestleMania 32 where he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Trophy by outlasting the other competitors and ultimately defeating Kane. While this trophy has yet to hold any real prestige or bring any credibility to its winners, the victory served as a vote of confidence for Corbin.

After being drafted to Smackdown in July of last year, Corbin began a feud with Kalisto. The feud would have likely been short-lived but Kalisto suffered an injury which kept him out of action for several months. Instead, Corbin fought with Jack Swagger which gave us some decent matches but certainly didn’t rise to the level of main event status. Upon Kalisto return, the two men were able to rekindle their flame which culminated in Corbin winning an outstanding chairs match at TLC in December. Due to the outrageous size difference, Corbin’s victory should have never been in doubt, but Kalisto is talented enough to have made their “David vs. Goliath” match-up much more believable, albeit with better results for Goliath.

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On the January 3rd edition of Smackdown, Corbin interrupted the contract signing between AJ Styles and John Cena to announce his entrance into the Royal Rumble. This makes him the first official participant from Team Blue and raises some interesting questions before his January 10th match against Cena. If Corbin wins that match clean then we can start taking him seriously as a possible winner of the Rumble. We all know what a win over Cena can mean for any superstar. As we get closer to the Rumble, each man will be looking for reasons why they can/will win and a victory over “the face that runs the place” certainly gives Corbin a lot to brag about. However, if the WWE decides to bury Corbin in this match and Cena wins (clean or otherwise) then there is no evidence to suggest that Corbin can overcome 29 other competitors, one of which will undoubtedly include John Cena.

Corbin is now the eighth man to formally declare his participation at the Rumble as he joins Goldberg, Lesnar, New Day, Strowman, and Jericho with more names to come very soon since the event takes place on January 29th. While I don’t see Corbin earning the coveted title shot, he should at least be one of the last men standing which can open up some unique storyline possibilities for him this year.

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Will 2017 Be Baron Corbin’s Year in WWE?

By Josh.0 | Jan 5, 2017

Will Baron Corbin finally get the respect he deserves?